Employment rate for women in Scotland has reached a record high, figures reveal

00:01, 20 Jun 2015

ByDavid Clegg

STATISTICS show 72.5 per cent of females have a job and the youth unemployment rate has fallen to 13.9 per cent – its lowest level for six years.

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Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Female employment in Scotland hits new record high

THE employment rate for women in Scotland has reached a record high, figures have revealed.

Statistics show 72.5 per cent of females have a job and the youth unemployment rate has fallen to 13.9 per cent – its lowest level for six years.

It also emerged the total number of Scots with jobs has risen by 53,000 over the last year – the equivalent of more than 1000 people a week finding work.

There was a slight increase in the jobless total between February and April but the number of people in work was up by 14,000 over the three months.

But Scottish Labour’s shadow finance secretary Jackie Baillie warned: “The figures for the labour market are to be welcomed but we have concerns about the quality of jobs created, as well as higher rates of unemployment in Scotland compared to the UK as a whole.

“Scotland has seen an unacceptable rise in insecure work and too many Scots still have to rely on low-paid work.”

Employment has risen to 2,624,000 – with 74.4 per cent of the population in work. While the employment rate north of the Border is higher than the figure of 73.4 per cent for the UK as a whole, Scotland has a higher rate of unemployment – with 5.9 per cent out of work compared with 5.5 per cent across the UK.

The number of Scots out of work, including those not eligible for benefits, rose by 1000 over February to April to stand at 163,000.

Across the UK as a whole, the jobless total fell by 43,000 over the period to 1.81million but the number of Scots out of work is 19,000 lower than the same quarter last year.

Meanwhile, the number of people in Scotland who are not working and claiming jobseeker’s allowance fell by 1200 last month to 76,300 – a drop of 23,900 from May 2014.

“However, there are areas where further work is needed, particularly as recent quarters have seen small rises in unemployment. Much of that change appears to have been caused by people, mostly women, re-entering the labour market following the recession.”